Dramatherapy Work
Personal Development
I have experience working with individuals, on a one-to-one basis, who wish to look at their feelings towards their life events and relationships. This work aims at being a collaborative exploration of difficulties an individual may be facing, helping each individual to develop a creative and new outlook, growing towards change.
Youth Work
My experience spans working with children in private practice, in nursery, primary and secondary schools, and pupil referral units. This work has involved group therapy as well as one-to-one sessions with children from a wide range of cultures. The aims within sessions were various, including anger management, emotional expression/safe containment, building relationships and trust, social skills, self-esteem, well-being, and creative and imaginative play.
Special Needs Youth Work
I have worked with children in private practice, primary schools, and the voluntary sector with a wide range of difficulties, including autistic spectrum disorder, Asperger's syndrome, ADHD, and speech and language disorders. I have facilitated group and one-to-one sessions. Aims included interaction in relationship, developmental work (e.g. physical awareness, attention and concentration), emotional expression and safe containment, self-esteem, well-being, and creative and imaginative play.
Older People
I have experience working in residential and nursing care homes, for individuals with difficulties including: dementia, learning difficulties, physical disability, schizophrenia and depression. Aims within sessions are in line with person-centred care including: comfort, personal identity, feeling included, attachment to others and fulfilment through being engaged and occupied. Ongoing aims develop in line with the needs and difficulties of specific individuals, as well as the needs of the group.
Mental Health
I have worked in an NHS hospital, facilitating open-group work with adult mental health inpatients. Difficulties included bipolar depression, schizophrenia and Asperger's syndrome. Aims within sessions included emotional expression and self-containment (particularly focusing on the difference between emotional states and their opposites), reflecting on feelings and personal process, imagination and creativity, and self-esteem and well-being (particularly valuing the Self and individual contributions).
Physical/Psychosomatic Pain
I have worked in a homoeopathic hospital with adult outpatients facilitating group therapy. Difficulties included chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, TMJ, bowel difficulties, and emotional trauma. Aims included altering self-perceptions (particularly in relation to identifying with pain, and attitudes towards the body), exploring new movement patterns, increasing the ability to reflect on and process emotions, imagination and creativity (ability to play and be flexible in body and thought), group support from shared experience, self-esteem and well-being.